Evaluation of the safety of non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma in hairless mouse tissues / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the stability of non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma on Candida albicans in hairless mouse-2 (HRM-2) tissues. METHODS: HRM-2 mice were subjected to non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment using an optical fiber probe and monitored using a thermometer. The skin of HRM-2 mice was treated with plasma jet for 0, 60, 180, and 300 s per day for 5 days. After plasma treatment, morphological changes in Candida albicans on the skin of these mice were examined using a scanning electron microscope. Biopsy of the plasma-treated skin was performed and the tissues were histologically analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome stains. RESULTS: The scanning electron microscopic images revealed the morphological changes in the membrane structure of the plasma-treated Candida albicans. Histological analysis showed that non-thermal plasma treatment did not cause epidermal damage or tissue inflammation and did not significantly modify the collagen layers of the mouse skin. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma might be safe and effective for clinical applications in the field of dentistry.